East Meets West Veg

Easiest Weeknight Pasta Ever (this one is extra saucy because I felt like having a lot of sauce)

Florence, Italy

Florence, Italy

The food at this restaurant was simple and absolutely delicious! I still dream about that pasta. It's unlike any I've had in the US, even though you can find authentic Italian food in the US. Maybe it was just the whole experience that made it seem more magical to me. When we arrived, we actually talked to the owner and she knew what 'vegano' meant so we were in luck. We just trusted her to make us something delicious. Being a person obsessed with food, I think about this pasta often and I sometimes crave it but haven't been able to find an exact recipe for it. I kept asking my husband and mom if they remembered this pasta and I had to have a way of describing it. Since I don't remember the name of the restaurant where we had this, and, we had pasta at several restaurants in Florence (leaving out the name Florence Pasta), I sometimes refer to this as 'Locked in an Italian Bathroom Pasta." (Luckily, THAT only happened once)

Maybe my mom just needed a sign like this

Falling in Love with Italy

You could certainly eat this pasta alone for a quick, easy, tasty, lycopene-filled weeknight dinner, but if you have a couple more minutes you could pair it with a nice salad topped with cannelini beans, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil like we had throughout our trip to Italy. This could also be paired with an easy side dish like my Spicy Lemon Garlic Broccolette, my Super Easy Chickpea Salad, some vegan Italian sausage, or Chocolate Mousse Pie.

Ingredients:

It's TV Tuesday and I have a recipe I discovered on the food network. This recipe is loaded with goodness. Chickpeas, tomatoes, spinach, garlic, onion, spices . . . It's a nutritional powerhouse. There's not much prep work and not much hands-on time. It's no wonder that it has a 5 star rating with over 150 reviews on the food network website. I knew the first time I made it that this recipe was a keeper. It bridges the divide between east and west because it has some of the spices of the east, but also familiar ingredients to westerners.

I might be partial to soups and stews, but I can't help it. I think it's in my DNA. When I was growing up, we ate a lot of soups and stews. I would say they were our favorite meals. My dad's brother and sister used to laugh about the fact that my dad loved eating soup for breakfast! I didn't realize that this was abnormal. I remember my dad's sister asking if my dad still ate soup for breakfast and laughing when the answer was yes. I made a mental note of that. Huh, this is somehow amusing. Maybe people don't normally have soup for breakfast?

My mom told me just recently that when she was younger, she also wanted to eat soup all the time and was sometimes teased for this. She said that when she met my dad, they knew that it was meant to be because the two ridiculed soup-lovers finally found someone share their passion for soup with. Okay, they weren't really ridiculed - more like lovingly teased from time to time.

I remember being home on weekends and smelling the savory aroma of a fresh, homemade soup or stew cooking on the stove. I can still smell the tomatoes, the vegetables, noodles, beans . . . Both of my parents were great cooks, but I looked forward to the weekends when my dad cooked. I don't know why but it seemed special to have something made by my dad.

I was honestly a little skeptical about the cinnamon in this stew, but I tried it without and it's just not the same. It's also not nearly as good without the spinach either. When I tasted this before and after the spinach, there was a huge difference.

This is a really great meal to warm you up on a chilly day, but I could enjoy it any time of the year.

Recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/dave-lieberman/moroccan-spiced-chickpea-soup-recipe/index.html

I just made this recipe for the first time, but it was an instant favorite! I couldn't help but share it, especially because I've been talking about it to everyone I've seen lately.

I slightly adapted this recipe from a fabulous blog that has really inspired me in so many ways. I substituted heirloom tomatoes, chili infused olive oil, and Ezekiel English Muffins for the tortillas. I think just about no matter what you do with this recipe, it will still be absolutely delicious! It seems simple, but it is so full of flavor and so healthy! You won't feel like anything is missing when you bite into these!



Easy Roasted Tomato Pizzas with Basil Cashew Cheeze:
http://ohsheglows.com/2012/08/21/easy-roasted-tomato-pizza-with-basil-cashew-cheeze-2012-vegnews-awards/

Where to Find: This recipe calls for Nutritional Yeast (NOT regular yeast!) which can be found at Health Food Stores, Whole Foods Market, and specialty stores. Whole Foods has it in the bulk spices section. Ezekiel English muffins can often be found in the freezer section, near the health foods or gluten free breads.